Deliberate mistake: In the shot where the F-14 and F5 canopies are only 3-feet apart, you can see that the writing on the side of MAVs F-14 is backwards. Also, if the F-14 was inverted, with the sun more-or-less above, its cockpit would be in shadow, not with sunlight on the nose, as seen. (00:08:55)
Deliberate mistake: Throughout the entire movie, every time Charlie Sheen is not wearing his helmet, especially when he's out in the field in this tropical climate, his hair is always meticulously combed back, blow-dried and puffy. As a veteran, I know from personal experience that when you take your helmet off, especially in a climate like that, the reality is your hair will be messy, sweaty, pressed flat and most unattractive.
Deliberate mistake: There's a bizarre editing gaff in the opening fight of the Director's Cut. At one point, Fasil's sword vanishes (for no real reason) and he starts to do backflips. The scene then cuts away, and when it cuts back, he's suddenly running and has his sword again. A few shots later, he's suddenly doing backflips and has lost his sword again. (It's meant to be Fasil doing the flips.) The editing makes absolutely no sense. It's like they somehow mixed up two different scenes during editing.
Deliberate mistake: While recon platoon is marching in their modified pt uniform, Gunny has "Cojones" call a cadence. Meanwhile Sgt. Webster maintains control of his formation, but from the wrong side. No platoon leader ever marches their unit from the right side of the formation.
Deliberate mistake: The explosion of the ship at the end of the film is actually another angle of the explosion of the house from a few seconds earlier. The craft's explosion is much too small for what is shown in the film.
Deliberate mistake: When Howard is being sucked out of his planet by the laser beam the couch ignites but he doesn't.